Off Broadway

So the name Off Broadway screams N.Y.C., but these are Illinois boys, and one of the myriad skinny-tie bands (actually only a couple dudes sport ties) that should've hit the big time. The mileage Off Broadway gets from a cliché remains nothing less than extraordinary: "U.S. Girls" cops an age-old opening from the Beatles; "Eddie's Pals" delivers a power pop missive almost in a league with the Hollies' "Dear Eloise" (or maybe Rundgren's "We Gotta Get You a Woman," but at least REO's "In Your Letter"). "Boys Must Be Strong" pleads poignantly and painfully long before the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry." Even without Tom Werman on the boards (he guided Off Broadway's inaugural On, and also produced hometown heroes Cheap Trick before he transmogrified into a pop-metal maven), Quick Turns is a pleasing platter impossible to resist. ~ Whitney Z. Gomes, All Music Guide